The Hards Among Usa Analysis

This chapter serves to inform the audience on the amount of risk Chris was taking from the start. He is certainly underprepared as the only food with him is a bag of rice and the author claims that he had “no ax, no bug dopes no snowshoes, no compass.” The repetition of the word “no” serves to make the audience feel worried for Chris thus

Since learning of the threat of Ernest, Chris is determined to atone for Mortimer’s death. We see his determination when Chris sneaks out to find Ernest time and again, to apologize. And when he pretended to be sick so he could escape from the school,

Chris highlighted this passage because he wanted to have

This only calls to attention another one of Chris’ shortcoming which was in the knowledge and inability to get a proper map of the Stampede Trail. With a map of Stampede Trail Chris would’ve been able to survive his adventure by either starting a big fire to alert firefighters or go some distance from the river to a cable which spanned the river to the other side where Chris could have been on the road to the highway. This could have been possible if Chris had some prior knowledge to what he was getting into and a good map, especially because Chris was in a moderately good health when he made his plan to head back to civilization. Alas it didn’t happen as Chris was unable to properly prepare for his trip because he believed he could achieve his goal to live in the wild without experience, and lacked the awareness of the land.

A lot of the people in the book remember Christopher for his character and his fun stories. He got a lot done in his life before and after he went on his life changing trip. On page 67 it says, ”Mary Westerberg, Wayne’s mother invited him to her house for dinner…They hit it off immediately. The two of them talked non stop for five hours.” It is apparent that Wayne's mother was really picky about the people she liked but she liked Alex (Chris) because he was different from the rest. In another event_the few short years he lived he impacted so many people's lives. They will forever remember him for the person he was. On page 67 it says, ” Considering that I only spent a few short hours in Alex’s company, it amazes me how much I’m bothered by his death.” Therefore he was so memorable that Mary Westerberg was shocked and saddened to here about his death. So it is clear that Chris was a memorable man and really stuck with people with his unique

Chris thought that he had slipped out of everyone’s life painlessly but for those people, it was the opposite. Little did he know, he had left major holes in some of their lives. For Ronald Franz, it was like losing a child all over again. Chris also cut Jan Burres and Wayne Westerberg, two more people that cared a lot about him, out of his life. The book goes on to reiterate how much of an impact Chris left on Ronald. ”

Chris applied for an ID as Alex Supertramp and found a job in Los Angeles.

what to do, he was against being a follower. Chris always wanted to go somewhere in

When Chris went hitchhiking across the country it was a complete surprise to his whole family. It all happened in a single day when he decided to up and leave everything he had. There were many determining factors that lead to his unexpected disappearance, as well as lots of time of preparation and planning. It was just another day for everyone except Chris, everyone was going on with their lives but he had much bigger plans. He shared his plans no one but his sister who he was very close with since an

and convince them that his death is on their hands. Not only did Chris complete what he was trying to

It was not unexpected that Chris died. Although, it is indeed very disappointing to see that such an inspiring pilgrim did not survive his ¬¬¬inspiring journey. His strong will and his determination to live had saved his life many times such as when kayaking down the Colorado River or when nearly drowning in the Gulf of Mexico (Krakauer 5). It is sad to see that his obsession and craving for the natural world would eventually lead to his death. Innocent mistakes such as eating moldy seeds and not having a map handy killed a great soul. One of his final acts, before his death, was to take a picture of himself where he had spent most of his time under the Alaskan sky, Bus 142. His face looked meager, almost like that of a skeleton, yet he still

     During Chris’s journey he never really opens up to anyone about his family. He doesn’t really show any affection towards them and if any it would be toward his sister Carnie. He writes in a letter to her stating that he is going to divorce his parents. The last time his parents saw him was after his graduation. Chris told his parents “ I think I’m going to disappear for a while” and that is the last they ever heard of him again.

Chris felt deceived and let down because of his father’s infidelity to both of his wives. Carine says in her interview with Krakauer, “When Walt’s double life came to light, the revelations inflicted deep wounds. All parties suffered terribly” (121). This is a perfect example of how the affair affected the McCandless family, thus giving him a major motivation to leave his parents. Another perspective of the father and son conflict in Into the Wild was between Chris and an elderly man that he met on the road named Ronald Franz. Ron Franz, whom was a father figure of sorts to Chris, felt a sense of treachery from his heavenly father, and this was all due to Chris’ elusion of close relationships. “I decided I couldn’t believe in a God who would let something that terrible happen to a boy like Alex” (60). That was a father son conflict on more of a spiritual level in the book, and it is clear that Chris had such a large impact on Franz. His impact on Ronald Franz was so compelling, that he even offered to adopt Chris, only to be rejected, which was also an underhanded sort of betrayal on Chris’ part. Krakauer added this element to the book because once there is betrayal, the casualty is

Chris loses his sense of self fulfillment and questions who he is, which eventually leads him to become unhappy. Chris journeys into the wild to separate himself from his betrayful family and to discover how to be content with his life again. His adventure is noble, because even though inexperienced, Chris commits himself to an adventure to better himself and find true meaning for his life. Although Chris chooses to leave with the purpose of bettering himself, he causes his family pain by leaving them without notice. Leaving his parents is Chris’ way of revenge, he wants to hurt his family like they hurt him. The betrayal of his father made Chris question many aspects of his life, including who he is as a person. In order for Chris to be truly happy, have a family, and be a loving father, he has to re-discover who he is. Chris’ purpose of his journey is to become self fulfilled once again, and to be happy with his life and

To me that scene in the cab summed up the movie - try, try and try again. You have to determine all the moves for yourself and you have to get it right. That is how one pursues happiness, and Chris' life is a testimony to that.